Bridge lock



Feb. .14, 1928. 1,659,250

I. ERDAL BRIDGE? LOCK Filed March 5, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 14, 1928.

[.ERDAL BRIDGE LOCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 5, 1925 Feb. 14, 1928. 1,659,250

I. ERDAL BRIDGE LOCK v Filed March 5, 1925 33Sheets-Sheei; 3

Patented Feb. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES Parana m INGOLF ERDAL, OF MAYW'OOD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOE T0 TEE SCHERZER BOLLTNG LIFT BRIDGE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CQR'EURATION OF ILLINOIS.

BRIDGE Loon.

Application filed March 5, 1925. Serial No. 13,033.

This invention relates to improvements in bridge locks.

One object of the invention is to provide in a bridge structure including a movable A more specific object of the invention is to provide in a bridge structure of the bascule type, means for locking the movable bridge leaf to prevent depression of the rear end thereof, wherein the locking means is independent of the bridge approach, so that the latter is relieved of all undue strain.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully and clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following. In the drawings, forming a. specification, Figure 1 is a detailed, longitudinal. vertical, sectional view taken centrally through the bridge structure and part of the bridge approach adjacent thereto, said view being broken away so as to showthe rear end of the movable span or leaf. Figure 2 is a horizontal, sectional view corresponding substantially to the line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure i is an enlarged, horizontal, sectional view of the locking mechanism proper, at one side of the bridge. Figure 5 is an enlarged, vertical, sectional view of the locking mechanism showing the locking plunger or latch in locking position. Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4:, showing the parts in a different position. .And Figure '2' is, a still further enlarged, vertical, sectional view, broken away, of the locking device, showing the connections between the parts thereof.

In said drawings, 10 designates the leaf of a rolling lift bridge which comprises side trusses 11 having upper and lower chords 12 and 13, the bridge deck of the span being coincident with the upper chord. The leaf of the bridge has a rolling segment 14 ad part of this jacent each side thereof, the same protruding beyond the lower side of the truss at the rear end of the leaf. Each rolling segmerit 14C is supported by and rolls on a sup porting track 15 formed by the top surface of a girder 16, two of such girders being provided, one for each segment. The girders 16 have their forward ends supported on a pier 17 and their rear ends supported on 313161 18. The trusses of the leaf or span are extended rearwardly beyond the rolling segments 14 towardthe bridge approach 19,

the leaf being thusprovided with a rearward extension, which meets the stationary approach at a point adjacent the pier v18. Proper clearance is provided for the rear end of the leaf to permit its depression While the bridge leaf is being operated during the opening of the bridge. A counter-weight 20 of any suitable design is attached to the rear entension of the leaf rearwardly beyond the rolling segments. This counter-weight preferaly occupies the space between the upper and lower chords of the bridge span and extends transversely thereof. The function of the counter-weight is to counterbalance the leaf in the usual manner so as to permit the raising and lowering of the leaf with the application of a minimum amount of power.

A rack 21 is disposed at each side of the bridge span, with which cooperates a pinion 22.. Itwill be evident that'upon rotation of the pinion 22 which meshes with the fixed rack 21, a rocking or pivotal movement of the spanwill be effected. The mechanism for thus operating the bridge is dupli cated on opposite sides of the span as clearly shown in Figure 2. The pinions 22 are driven from asingle motor 23 through the interposed gearing 24:, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 31, the gearing on the opposite sides of the central gear 25 being duplicated. It will be evident that by. the arrangement of flange couplings asshown, provision is made for the use of two motors as well as the single motor illustrated or that the single motor may be disposed on either side of the bridge.

The motor 23 and the gearing2 i to 31, inclusive, as well as the bearings for the latter are mounted on a machinery floor 32 disposed intermediate the top and bottom chords 12 and member 21 comprises a pair of spaced, lon- 13 of the span. Each rack gitudinally disposed beams 33-33, to the upper edges of which the rack is rigidly secured the rack proper being in the form of a channel-shaped member having teeth on the upper surface thereof and downwardly extending flanges 3l3i: disposed between the beams 33 and secured to the latter in any suitable manner as for example by rivets. Each set of beams 33 is supported by the corresponding beam 16 through the medium of vertically and obliquely extending memhere 35, 36 and 37 having their upper and lower ends fixed respectively to the beams 33 and 16. The member 35 is vertically disposed and is arranged at the forward end of the rack, while the beam 37 extends diagonally from the rear end of the rack to the pier 18, the member 36 being diagonally interposed between the members 35 and 37. A very strongly braced structure is thus provided.

The bridge span and racks are provided with coacting locking elements to prevent depression of the rear end of the bridge when the traffic is passing thereover, these locking elements being preferably in the form of a socket member 38 secured to each rack and a cooperating plunger or latch member slidably mounted in the girder at the corresponding side of the bridge span. Each socket 38 is in the form of a hollow member having a bottom orouter end wall 40 and a flange l1 surrounding the inner end of the socket. The flange 41 and the bottom wall are fixedly secured to the inner and outer beams 33 of the corresponding rack member in any suitable manner, iii this instance being shown as riveted thereto. The front and rear walls 42 and 43 of the socket 38 converge slightly toward the bottom of the same.

The plunger or latch member 39 which is preferably in the form of a steel forging is slidably mounted in a pair of guide members 4t-4et fixed in the corresponding side girder of the span. The latch member 39 has a lost motion connection with av short shaft 45 disposed at the corresponding side of the bridge span, the shaft being hollow as indicated at 46 to slidingly accommodate an extension d7 at the rear end of the latch member. A pair of bars 43-4-9 are fixedly secured to the rear end of the latch member and have their inner ends slotted as indicated at 49, each slot 49 being adapted to slidingly receive abolt 59 extending from the corresponding side of a collar 51 pinned to the shaft 45. A second collar 52 is fixed to the rear end of the corresponding; latch member, the same being preferably screwed thereon as clearly shown in Figure 7. A helical spring 53 is interposed between the collars 51 and 52 of each locking device. The inner end of each shaft 45 is provided with screw threads 54: working in a nut 55 journaled in bearings 56 supported beneath the machinery floor 32 by l cams 57 57. A collar 154: is pinned to the inner end of each sha ft 45, the collar acting as a stop to limit the outward movement of the shaft. Interposed between each set of bearing members 56 is a ear 58 which is rigidly secured to the nut 05 by means of a key or any other suitable connection member. Each gear 58 is driven by a pinion 59 mounted on a shaft (30 extending from side to side of the machinery floor and having its opposite ends journaled in bearings (ill-61. The shaft 60 is adapted to be driven through the medium ot' a train of gears 63 3 driven by a motor 65 also supported on the machinery floor 32. The motor 65 is of the reversible type, whereby the shaft may be rotated in opposite directions. The electric circuit for controlling the motor 65 is designated by 67, an over-load circuit breaker 68 and a reversing switch 69 being interposed in the circuit, the circuit breaker and switch being preferably mounted on a panel fixedly supported independently of the movable bridge members. As the reversing mechanism employed is of common and well-known construction, a detailed description thereof is not deemed essential.

In operating the bridge span to either open or close the same, it is rocked on the segments 14 by rotation of the pinions 22 which mesh with the racks 21 at the opposite sides of the span. The bridge may thus be brought to the proper horizontal position to bring "the rear end of. the deck thereof in alinement with the upper surface of the ap proach. ii hen the bridge span has been brought to this approximate position, the circuit 67 is closed by operating the circuit breaker 68, and the reversing switch 69. whereupon the shaft 30 will be rotated through the motor 65. effecting rotation of the gears 59 and 58, and the nuts Rotation of the nuts 55 will effect outward movement oi the corresponding shafts 45. The outward movement oi. each shaft t5 will e'li'ect a correspondii'ig movementof the latch member 39 at the same side of the bridge, the latch member being yieldingly urged outwardly through the spring 53 interposed between the collars 51 and It will he evident that if the socket element 38 is properly registered with the corresponding latch member 39. the latch will be projected into the socket without any compression of the spring 53. However, if the socket 33 and the corresponding latch member 39 are not properly aligned as shown in Figure 6, the latch member 39 will be permitted to yield, due to the spring 53. Any further relative movement of the bridge span and the rack member tends to bring the socket 38 and latch member 39 into registration, and as soon as this condition is eitected, the latch will be forced into the socket due to the expansion of the spring 53; Upon reference iii) to Figure 4:, it will be seen that the outer end of each latch member 39 is so formed as to have the proper bearing on the rear wall d3 of the socket, the outeriace of the former being correspondingly inclined to the inner face of said wall. The opposite or front edge of each latch nien'iber is cut away as indicated at 69 so that it will at all times clear the wall 42 of the corresponding socket. When the latch members 39 have been moved to their extreme outer position in which they are arrested by engagement of the inclined inner edges with the corresponding surfaces of the walls d3, and by the collars 154; engaging the corresponding bearings 56, the circuit breaker 68 will be automatically thrown out, due to the overload condition. To withdraw the latches 39 from the sockets 38, the rotation of the shaft 8O is'merely re versed, it being evident that the shafts 45 will thereby be retracted and the pins will retract the latch men'ibers 39. To effect this reverse rotation of the shaft 60, the reversing switch 69 is thrown in the proper direction, the circuit 67 being first closed. It will be evident that when the latches 39 reach their extreme inner position, further movement of the shaftse5 will be resisted by engagement of the collars 51 with the corresponding bearing members 55 and the circuit breaker 68 will again be automatically thrown out due to overload. hen the latches 39 are in the extreme outer position, bearing on the inner faces of the walls of the sockets 38, the bridge span will be effectively held from any turning movement, the same being rigidly supported so that any load placed on the rear end oi. the span will in no way cause a depression of the latter.

By supporting the sockets with whichthe latch members cooperate on the fixed racks, a very rigid abutment for the latch members is provided inasmuch as each rack is rigidly supported upon the corresponding beam 16 which in turn supported by the two piers 17 and 11.8. A great advantage is thus had over rear end locks as now generally used, in which it is the practice to provide co-act ing latch or abutment means on the rear end (it the span and the approach to the bridge. By thus arranging the locking means for the rear end of the bridge, independently of the bridge approach, the latter is relieved from excessive strains, and accidental depression of the rear end of the span is avoided.

Although the mechanism for operating the locking latches or bars 39 has been herein illustrated and described as power driven, it will be evident that the same may be manually operated instead.

\Vhile I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my. invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come Within the scope oi? the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. In a bridge, the combination with an abutment; ot' a movable member having a deck thereon, said movable member having the rear end thereof disposed adjacent said abutment; coacting means on said abutment and member for effecting n'ioven'ient of said member; and inter-ei'igaging locking means on said abutment and member for prevent ing depression of the rear end of said me1nber.

2. In a bridge, the combination with an abutment; of a movable member having a deck thereon, said movable member having the rear end thereof disposed adjacent said abutment; mechanism for effecting movement of said member, includingan element fixed with reference to said abutment and means having driving engagement with said element, said means being supported entirely by said member; co-acting locking means on said abutment and member for preventing depression of the rear end of said member; and operating means for said locking means, said operating means being also supported entirely by said member.

3. In a bridge, the combination with a movable deck carrying member; of cooperating elements for effecting movement of said member, one of said. elements being fixed relatively to said member; and interengaging locking devices for said movable member. one of said inter-engaging devices being relatively fixed and carried by said fixed element.

4. In a bridge. the combination with a movable deck carrying member; of mechanism for etlecting movement of said member, including an element fixed with reference to said member; and coacting means carried by said member and fixed element for locking said member against movement.

5. In a bridge, the combination with a movable deck carrying member; of a. fixed rack; means including a gear cooperating with said rack for effecting movement of said member; coacting locking means on said rack and member for arresting movement of the latter.

6. In a bridge, the con'ibination with a movable deck carrying member; of mechanism for effecting movement of said member, said mechanism including inter-engaging elements, one of said elements being fixed with reference to said member and the other rotatable on said member; and cooperating locking means on said member and fixed elemounted on said member; power driven operating mechanism for projecting said element; and automatic means controlled by the resistance encountered by said element When being proj ected for predetermining the amount of movement of said element.

8. In a bridge, the combination with a movable member; of means for locking said member against depression at the rear end 10 thereof, said means including an element fixed with reference to said member and having a forwardly facing abutment surface, and a locking device movably mounted on said member, said locking device having a face 011 the rear side thereof adapted to cooperate with said abutment surface; and means for operating said movable member.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 19th day of February, 1925.

INGOLF ERDAL. 

